What better weekend could you ask for than one filled with food trucks, beer, games, freak show performances all while your favorite bands play on two large stages. And did we forget to mention it all took place in the best city of all…Las Vegas! On April 21st and 22nd, the first ever ‘Las Rageous’ took place in wild and free Downtown Las Vegas, NV. Once in a lifetime performances took place from bands such as We Gave It Hell and A Friend, A Foe, whereas bands such as Of Mice & Men took the stage for a memorable set as their first time playing as a 4-piece. But every band left their mark on Vegas and on fans as well.

Day 1 was nothing short of a party. The festival had consisted of 2 stages, a main and side stage. There were no overlapping stage times so nobody would miss any of their favorite bands once it all began. The night started out with local Las Vegas natives, A Friend, A Foe and We Gave It Hell as the sun was going down. Both who showed exactly why they earned their time on those stages; warming up the crowds with heavy vocals paired with crispy and strong instrumentals.

Playing the side stage that night, The Devil Wears Prada, Killswitch Engage and Anthrax packed the crowds in on a stage that was set up on a closed off road. With the bands age groups ranging as did the fans. But no matter who they were mainly there for, everyone was having a good time to the good music this stage offered. Festival goers seemed to really enjoy the garden like area between stages where food truck selections varied from a waffle truck to a stand selling bbq pulled chicken sandwiches but lets not forget that it all could go down smoothly with a large beer while they sit and listen to live music with their friends.

Main stage area is where we enjoyed the most. A wide open space with a barricade splitting the crowd down the middle for equipment, more alcohol tents, and merch tables made the ambiance more vibrant. Seeing Coheed and Cambria was a dream come true with Claudio’s magnificent guitar skills and captivating voice. Going from cool with Coheed, Godsmack heated up their set with shooting flames and fireworks that heightened the crowd’s excitement. But the name on everyone’s tongue that night was Of Mice & Men. Playing their first show since their vocalist Austin Carlile left the band last year due to health related issues.

As Day 1 came to an end, everyone left happy and ready for Day 2 in less than 24 hours. As they did the day before, Code Red Riot and Nations, both local Las Vegas natives, opened up the night. Bringing in almost 1/3 more of people than the night before, Las Rageous was the one and only place to be in Vegas that weekend. From side to side and front to back, people filled in every gap for the side stage to see Escape The Fate, Eagles of Death Metal and Breaking Benjamin. But it was bands All That Remains and Mastodon that made everyone’s hands go up and have the best time of their life on the main stage. Drawing the night to a close was Avenged Sevenfold who had people coming in when gates opened and grabbed their prime spot on the rail and wait over 5 hours just to see their favorite band play.

Being the first year that ‘Las Rageous’ was held, we were not disappointed. So the question is, will this become an annual thing for Downtown Las Vegas? We sure hope so! Not only for the fact that they had some of the best festival food, the cleanest portable full sized restrooms, and plenty of alcohol to go around but for the love of music and what it means to everyone. With this, we thank you Las Rageous!